Michael Chiesa: Brady Doesn’t Have A Single Hole In His Game

UFC welterweight contender Michael Chiesa doesn’t believe his upcoming opponent, surging prospect Sean Brady, has a single hole in his game.

In Chiesa’s third outing of the year, a tally he hasn’t managed since 2013, he’ll be offering a rising cont…

Michael Chiesa, Sean Brady

UFC welterweight contender Michael Chiesa doesn’t believe his upcoming opponent, surging prospect Sean Brady, has a single hole in his game.

In Chiesa’s third outing of the year, a tally he hasn’t managed since 2013, he’ll be offering a rising contender the chance to make a leap up the 170-pound ladder. Brady, who was last in action when he submitted Jake Matthews at UFC 259 in March, has built a 14-0 record and currently sits at #14 in the welterweight division.

While many would shy away from meeting a fighter ranked eight places below them, Chiesa knows he has to beat the up-and-comers in order to maintain his spot in the weight class, especially after suffering a first-round defeat in his last appearance.

At UFC 265 in August, “Maverick” saw his attempts to submit Vicente Luque reversed by the Brazilian, who finished him with a memorable D’Arce choke. Chiesa will look to rebound in style by handing Brady the first blemish on his record at UFC Vegas 43 this Saturday.

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Chiesa Believes Brady Is Good At Everything, But Not “Really Good” At Anything

Ahead of his second fight in two months, Chiesa made an appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour. Discussing his opponent, the 33-year-old admitted that Brady doesn’t have a single hole in his game. However, while he knows the 28-year-old is well-rounded, Chiesa doesn’t believe he’s exceptionally good in any area.

“I’ll tell you about Sean Brady. He doesn’t have a single hole in his game. He’s as tough as they come. Look, you gotta pay respect to the camp first and foremost. I mean, Daniel Gracie, black belt, you know, training in the same house as Paul Felder when he’s back home. i know those guys are all well-prepared. While I say he’s very good at everything, I don’t think he’s really, really good at anything. I don’t think he’s a specialist. I just think he’s really good everywhere.”

Addressing the surging influx of unbeaten prospects in the welterweight division, Chiesa suggested that Brady should be spoken about and regarded as highly as Khamzat Chimaev, who recently shot to #10 on the 170-pound ladder. But despite Brady’s potential, and his intention to extend his record to 15-0 with a submission stoppage on November 20, Chiesa is confident he has the tools to get past his compatriot.

“I know I’m in for a tough test. I know these tough up-and-coming guys, who are undefeated, they’re no joke. They’re the future of this division. If you’re gonna bring Khamzat Chimaev up a lot, you’ve gotta bring up Sean Brady… But my time hasn’t passed yet. I’m only 33 years old. In terms of fight years, I don’t have a ton of miles on me, I haven’t been in a lot of wars. I’m a tough test for this guy and he’s a tough test for me. I just feel like I have the intangibles, things beyond the Xs and Os that are gonna be the difference maker in this fight.”

Who do you think will have their hand raised in the UFC Vegas 43 co-main event, Michael Chiesa or Sean Brady?

Continue Reading Michael Chiesa: Brady Doesn’t Have A Single Hole In His Game at MMA News.

Ketlen Vieira: I Always Thought Tate Retired Too Soon

UFC bantamweight contender Ketlen Vieira is preparing for the best version of Miesha Tate ahead of their UFC Vegas 43 main event.

Vieira will face arguably the toughest test of her career against the former champion Tate, who is coming off of an im…

Ketlen Vieira

UFC bantamweight contender Ketlen Vieira is preparing for the best version of Miesha Tate ahead of their UFC Vegas 43 main event.

Vieira will face arguably the toughest test of her career against the former champion Tate, who is coming off of an impressive return to the Octagon. After nearly five years away from the UFC, Tate didn’t appear to skip a beat as she dominated Marion Reneau in her most recent victory this summer.

Tate retired from the UFC following back-to-back losses to Raquel Pennington and Amanda Nunes. During that time, Vieira burst onto the bantamweight scene with solid wins over the likes of former title challengers Cat Zingano and Sara McMann.

During her UFC Vegas 43 pre-fight press conference, Vieira claimed that Tate might’ve rushed to retirement in the middle of her athletic prime.

“I always thought that she retired too soon,” Vieira said. “I always followed her work, I admired her, and I thought that because she was retired, I’d never face her.”

Vieira also believes that Tate’s prolonged time away from competing might’ve been a blessing in disguise.

“I do believe she’s in her best shape,” Vieira said. “You can see by like, the pictures she showed on social media. Also, if somebody that have her experience didn’t believe that they are actually in their best shape. She wouldn’t have come back. So, that makes me even more motivated and happy to be there and face a great opponent.”

Ketlen Vieira Is Looking To Rebound From Her Losing Skid

Vieira got off to a nearly unblemished start to her professional career but will enter UFC Vegas 43 with losses in two of her last three bouts. Despite a strong start to her most recent fight with Yana Kunitskaya, Vieira faded in the final minutes to lose via a unanimous decision.

If Vieira can get past Tate at UFC Vegas 43, she’ll catapult herself into the bantamweight title picture. The Brazilian has plenty of potential in the 135-pound division and a win over Tate would add a signature performance to her resume.

What is your prediction for Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate at UFC Vegas 43?

Continue Reading Ketlen Vieira: I Always Thought Tate Retired Too Soon at MMA News.

Brady Predicts Submission Victory Over Chiesa At UFC Vegas 43

Undefeated UFC welterweight Sean Brady is targeting a submission finish against contender Michael Chiesa at UFC Vegas 43 this weekend.

Brady, who has built an unblemished 14-0 professional record that includes seven finishes, is set to face his tou…

Sean Brady, Michael Chiesa

Undefeated UFC welterweight Sean Brady is targeting a submission finish against contender Michael Chiesa at UFC Vegas 43 this weekend.

Brady, who has built an unblemished 14-0 professional record that includes seven finishes, is set to face his toughest test to date when he enters the Octagon with the #6-ranked Chiesa inside the UFC Apex on Saturday. The 28-year-old hasn’t been in action since a submission victory over Jake Matthews at UFC 259 earlier this year.

Having surged into the rankings after just four outings in the promotion, the Philadelphia native will look to take a huge leap towards the 170-pound top five with an impressive display against “Maverick.”

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Brady Targets A Statement Finish Against A Top Contender

Brady was initially scheduled to face former interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee on two separate occasions in 2021. Their July clash was postponed after “The Motown Phenom” suffered an injury. The second time around, the issue was on Brady’s side. He was forced to withdraw from their August booking after contracting a staph infection.

With Lee instead facing and losing to Daniel Rodriguez, Brady is content with moving on from the cursed matchup, and now firmly has his sights set on a top-10 contender. In an interview with MMA News’ James Lynch ahead of his fifth UFC outing this weekend, Brady discussed his matchup with Chiesa, suggesting he has the advantage wherever the fight goes.

“I’ve got nothing but respect for Chiesa, but I’ve got to make a statement and that’s what I plan on doing… On paper, we’re both grapplers. But I think I have an edge in just being more athletic, and I think I have the better standup. I feel like wherever this fight goes, if it goes to the ground I think I have the advantage, if we grapple I feel like I have the advantage, if it stays on the feet I feel like I have the advantage. I just think I’m the overall better fighter.

“I think there’s gonna be a lot of good grappling exchanges… he’s an amazing grappler. He’s beaten some of the best guys. So I’m looking forward to testing out my skills versus his. I think I’m just gonna be a little bit too much for him.”

When asked for his prediction on how the fight will end, Brady told MMA News that he believes he’ll submit Chiesa on November 20. If he does force a tap or put “Maverick” to sleep, Brady will be the second man to submit him in just four months. In Chiesa’s previous outing, he fell to a D’Arce choke against top-five welterweight Vicente Luque.

“I’ve had plenty of time, I’m gonna be in amazing shape, and I’m coming for a hard 15-minute fight. But I plan on getting it done before then… Honestly, I feel like I’m going to submit him. He’s (got) very good offensive jiu-jitsu, but he has four losses by submission, and I feel like I’ve been doing very well with my submissions in my fighting and in my training; it’s just getting better and better. I feel like that’s an area where I’ll be able to catch him.”

Catch our exclusive interview with Sean Brady ahead of UFC Vegas 43 below:

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC Vegas 43, Sean Brady or Michael Chiesa?

Continue Reading Brady Predicts Submission Victory Over Chiesa At UFC Vegas 43 at MMA News.

Miesha Tate Would ‘Love’ To Score ‘Dream’ Trilogy Fight With Ronda Rousey

Miesha TateAhead of this weekend’s UFC Vegas 43 event — the first which former undisputed bantamweight champion, Miesha Tate will headline since UFC 200, the Washington native has spoken in great length regarding her future plans in the sport — which includes a dream trilogy bout with arch-rival, inaugural division queen, Ronda Rousey. Tate, a former […]

Miesha Tate

Ahead of this weekend’s UFC Vegas 43 event — the first which former undisputed bantamweight champion, Miesha Tate will headline since UFC 200, the Washington native has spoken in great length regarding her future plans in the sport — which includes a dream trilogy bout with arch-rival, inaugural division queen, Ronda Rousey.

Tate, a former undisputed Strikeforce and UFC bantamweight champion, made her stunning Octagon return in July as part of the UFC Vegas 31 card, snapping a retirement which dated back to UFC 205 back in November 2016.

The veteran submission expert handed the retiring Marion Reneau her first professional finish loss at the UFC Apex facility earlier this summer, courtesy of an eventual third round ground strikes stoppage victory. 

Immediately, Tate began to campaign for a championship rematch against current two-weight champion, past-foe, Amanda Nunes. And this weekend at UFC Vegas 43 — has the opportunity to move closer to a rematch with the Bahia native as she tackles Nunes’ compatriot, Amazonas native, Ketlen Vieira who currently clutches the #7 rank in the bantamweight pile.

Miesha Tate would love to score a third bout with Ronda Rousey if she snapped her retirement

35-year-old Tacoma native, Tate spoke recently with ESPN MMA where she laid out an ideal 2022 timeline for her, which included an aforenoted rematch against Nunes — who makes her bantamweight return next month against Julianna Pena, as well as another rematch against fellow former champion, Holly Holm. And quite surprisingly, mentioned how she would love to score a trilogy pairing with the retired Rousey before she pulls the curtain on her career.

Don’t get me twisted,” Tate insisted. “I’m not trying to call out a brand-new mama. This has to be something she [Ronda Rousey] wants, too. I wouldn’t want to just call her out. She’s doing her thing, she’s retired. I would want to fight her at her best. If she chose she wanted to come back and she was like, ‘I want to come back and fight Miesha Tate or whoever,’ I would love another shot at her. But only if she was taking it seriously and she was training at her best and that’s what she wants, too.

Rousey, who called time on her professional mixed martial arts career following a stunning first round knockout loss to common-foe, Nunes at UFC 207 in 2017, holds a pair of armbar wins over Tate to clinch and defend the Strikeforce and UFC bantamweight titles, respectively.

She knew part of the kryptonite for me was in my former relationship,” Tate said of Rousey. “[She] was causing the rift between him [Bryan Caraway] and I so that everything was unstable in the personal life. I think I went into those fights so congested in my mind. I really wasn’t able to be just fighting her. I was also fighting myself. I was also fighting my relationship. I was also fighting all these extenuating circumstances.

While Tate still has yet to recapture gold, or even rematch Holm let alone Rousey — the Washington favorite has laid out a distinct trio of goals for the remainder of her career; “Title, Holly Holm, Ronda Rousey,” Tate said. “I would love it.

Cheyanne Buys Releases A Statement After UFC Vegas 43 Withdrawal

Cheyanne Buys has been removed from her upcoming bout due to a Covid diagnosis.

There has been a change to the upcoming UFC Vegas 43 card. The scheduled strawweight bout between Cheyanne Buys and Loma Lookboonmee has taken a hit. Buys has been for…

Cheyanne Buys

Cheyanne Buys has been removed from her upcoming bout due to a Covid diagnosis.

There has been a change to the upcoming UFC Vegas 43 card. The scheduled strawweight bout between Cheyanne Buys and Loma Lookboonmee has taken a hit. Buys has been forced to withdraw from the fight after being diagnosed with COVID-19. She explained this to her fans and apologized for the last-minute change to her opponent.

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“To my fans: I’m sorry to inform you guys but my fight next Saturday I have been pulled from. I have tested positive for Covid and unfortunately unable to perform for you guys next week,” Buys wrote. “I want to apologize to my opponent @lomalookboonmee this has been a long 12 weeks camp to prepare for each other and I’m sure we will see each other again one day. To the @ufc and @mickmaynard2 when I am healthy here soon I will be ready to go.?? This truly was the best I have ever felt leading into a fight and soon enough I will get back to doing what I love to do. Until then thank you guys for your love and support. I’ll be back ???.”

Buys was coming into this fight following her huge head kick TKO over Gloria de Paula back in July. The Dana White’s Contender Series product has been fairing well in the UFC so far with only one loss.

Lookboonmee will remain on the card and will face Lupita Godinez on short notice. This is the third short notice fight in a row that Godinez has taken. She fought twice last month and now is set for her third in just four weeks.

As for Lookboonmee, she is riding a two-fight winning streak with her last coming from a decision victory over Sam Hughes.

UFC Vegas 43 will be headlined by a bantamweight contender matchup between Ketlen Vieira and Miesha Tate. The event takes place on Nov. 20 from the UFC APEX.

Who do you think wins this last-minute matchup between Loma Lookboonmee and Lupita Godinez?

Continue Reading Cheyanne Buys Releases A Statement After UFC Vegas 43 Withdrawal at MMA News.

Miesha Tate Accuses Aspen Ladd Of Cheating, Calls Her Coach A Coward

Miesha TateFormer UFC bantamweight champion, Miesha Tate has claimed that the #3 ranked, Aspen Ladd attempted to cheat and deceive the scales ahead of her scheduled UFC Vegas 38 main card bout with Macy Chiasson, which was ultimately shelved after Ladd missed the bantamweight limit.  Ladd, who has been out of action since a UFC Fight […]

Miesha Tate

Former UFC bantamweight champion, Miesha Tate has claimed that the #3 ranked, Aspen Ladd attempted to cheat and deceive the scales ahead of her scheduled UFC Vegas 38 main card bout with Macy Chiasson, which was ultimately shelved after Ladd missed the bantamweight limit. 

Ladd, who has been out of action since a UFC Fight Night D.C. back in December 2019, recovered from an MCL and ACL tear in the time since, and was slated to return against The Ultimate Fighter victor, Chiasson last weekend.

However, on Friday morning at the official weigh-ins, Ladd first stepped on the scales, weighing in at 141.5lbs — fully clothed for her bantamweight fight.

Removing her clothes, Ladd then tipped the bantamweight scales at 137lbs, visibly shaking inside the surrounding cube as she weighed in, attempting to lift her hands as officials from the UFC and Nevada State Athletic Commission attended the scales. 

With the bout ultimately shelved, Chiasson and Ladd were removed from the entire card, with the latter claiming that the former made the decision against competing at a catchweight, before explaining how she received her period during the week, leading to her botched weight cut. 

Releasing a lengthy statement on Friday following the cancellation of the bout, Ladd promised to “be better” going forward, issuing the statement to the UFC, matchmakers, Mick Maynard, and Sean Shelby, as well as promotional president, Dana White.

However, taking umbrage with Ladd’s statement, the aforenoted former champion, Tate claimed that Ladd attempted to cheat the weighing scales on Friday.

It’s one thing to miss weight, it’s another thing to try and cheat the scale and use every excuse in the book to not weigh in properly,” Miesha Tate replied beneath Ladd’s statement. “Everyone saw you cheat and still came in a lb over. I bet you were every bit of 139(lbs).

Tate further voiced her opinion on Ladd’s botched weigh-in attempt, claiming that she again intended on cheating the scales when asked by a Twitter user why Ladd elected against using the digital scales backstage.

Because she wanted to cheat the real scale and she knew if she checked beforehand that she couldn’t explain why the lbs suddenly disappeared when she got behind a curtain she could grab onto,” Tate tweeted
On Sunday native, Ladd responded to and refuted Tate’s claims, explaining how her struggles with weigh-ins were well documented. 

U R a champ, a pioneer in MMA, I hav (sic) a great deal of respect for u,” Ladd replied to Tate. “Bottom line is I didn’t make it, there is documented history struggles. 1lb or 10lbs, the bottom line is I didn’t get it done, taking control to rectify the situation. I will not engage w/ neg this has brought.,” 

For Tate, the Washington veteran is scheduled to headline a UFC Vegas 43 event in November, tacking Manaus native, Ketlen Vieira in a high-stakes bantamweight matchup

MMA Gold coach, Jim West, the head coach of Ladd, defended his student following Tate’s claims — calling the former champion a coward. 

Miesha Tate you are a coward,” West posted. “Remember when you lied saying we wanted you to fight late notice at 145(lbs) but you went on record saying we wanted it at 135(lbs) and we know for a fact you said you didn’t want that tough of an opponent? Trust me have good inside information.

Responding to West, Tate called the head coach a “coward” blaming him for her lack of preparedness to make the bantamweight limit.

You’re the only coward in this conversation,” Tate tweeted. “Aspen (Ladd) is a fantastic fighter & mentally tough to even attempt the kind of cuts she does but her lack of preparedness falls heavily on you. If you worried about her as much as you did your hair she’d be well off. #liar #coward #joke